Vehicle-wheel.



No. 868,611. PATENTED 0OT.15, 1907. W. J. 6: J. R. MITCHELL. VEHICLE WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14. 1906.

lQlNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WlNFlELD .l. MITCHELL, OF PITTS'FIELD, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND JAMES R. MITCHELL, OF

TEMPLETON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNORS TO M ITC'HELL PUNOTURELESS PNEUMATIC TIRE COMPANY, OF SWAMLSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SE TS.

' VEHICLE-WHEEL.

No. seas-r1.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ramm d Oct. 15, 1907.

Application filed November 14, 1906. Serial No. 343,446.

This invention relates to wheels-for motor vehicles and the like, the wheel having a tread or tire adapted to yield independently of the body of the wheel.

The invcntion relatcs particularly to a wheel having a rigid iclly provided at its sides with outwardly'projecting rigid flanges forming the sides of a deep recess, said felly and flanges constituting a chambered or recessed rigid body, an'air tube located in the recess of said body, and protected bythe sides and bottom thereof, two outer annular seats rigidly afiixedto" the body, and separated by an intermediate space, a tread portion or tire engaged with and silpported by said outer seats, and U shaped in cross section, and a series of leg sections detachably seated in the tire, and projecting between the outer seats, said leg sections bearing on the air tube so .that the "leg sections and the 25 main portion of the tire bearing thereon, are yieldingly supported by the air tube, and are adapted to move toward and from the center of the wheel, the leg sections sliding in and out in the leg-receiving space between the outer seats.

The present invention has for its object to provide certain improvements inthe construction of parts of the wheel, said improvements looking to economy of construction and decreased. weight.

The invention also has for its object to provide certain improved means for securing the tread portion or tire to the outer seats and to the side flanges on the wheel body.

The invention consists in the improvements which we will now proceed to describe and claim. Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specificatiom-Figdrta 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a vehicle wheel embodying our inven fill Lion. Fig.- 2 representsa section on line 2-2 oi Fig.

1. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 represents a perspective view showing portions or the two outer seats and a portion of the annular spacing member attached thereto. Fig. 5 represents a. perspective view of one of the leg sections. Fig. 6 represents in perspectivethe parts, of'the leg section separated from each other. Fig. 7 represents a fragmentary view showing the improved meansior securing the base portions of the outer tire to the outer seats and the side flanges, of the wheel body.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, (1 represents the hub, b the spokes and c the telly of a vehicle wheeL The outer surface of the telly c has an inner seat"which supports an air tube'd of anysuitable constructionl The said seat .is preferably a. hollow sheet metal ring having a transversely concave outer face c composed of the central part of a sheet metal strip, and a back composed of the edge portions 0 c of the strip bent under the portion 0.

e 0 represent flanges or side plates rigidly attached to the felly c by bolts f, and projecting outwardly from the folly at opposite sides of -the air tube. The felly and the flanges constitute a rigid chambered or recessed wheel body.

' g 9 represent two outer seats which are annular sheet metal bands or rings attached to the side plates e e by bolts h, and provided. with hooked flanges 9 The I outer seats are spaced or held apart from' each other by a sheet metal spacing member 9 riveted to the outer seats g, and provided with a series ofleg-receiving openings 9 which are separated from eachother by transverse bars g. I

The leg sections extend through the leg-receiving 'openingegi', and are adapted to slide inwardly and outwardly in said openings between the outer seats. Each leg section is composed of a body portion j of elastic material, such as rubber, metallic'wear pieces 7" applied to the sides of the body j below the enlarged head portion thereof, anda facing strip 3' on the inner surface 'of the body j, said facing strip havingan antiirictional surface adapted to bear upon the air tube (1 with the minimum friction. The wear pieces 9 are preferably the sides of a box having two connecting sides j, as shown in Fig. 6. They may be made of any suitable material, preferably aluminium on account of lightness. The said wear pieces sustain all and the 'inner seats and the spacing pieces g so that there is no possibility of wear or chafing of the rubber bodies j. The wear pieces also reduce to the minimum the frictional resistanceto-the inward and outward movementsof the leg sections. The ends of the outer or head portion of .the rubber body overhang the connecting sides 3' so that when the leg sections are abutted together, end to end, as shown in Fig. 3, recesses are formed between them for the] reception of the space bars g. The said space bars constitute stop members which prevent endwise creeping of the leg, sections 90 wear resulting from contact between the leg sections I and tire. The wear pieces 3' prevent the chafing and wear that would result from contact of the rubber bodicsof the log sections with the space bars. The

injurious chafing of the air tube. The strip j is preierably attached to the body portion j of the leg section by screws or other fastening devices It.

It will be seen that the employment of sheet metal as the material of the inner and outer seats and of the spacing member g reduces to the minimum the weight of the Wheel and the cost of manufacturing. -.The sheet metal employed will, of course, be of suitable thickness to insure the requisite degree of strength.

Each of the base portions of the tire t' is thicken'ed to f'. i arr-inner shoulder g engaged with the hooked flange g and an outer shoulder g which is slightly below the outer edge of the side platee. g represents a wire ring which is seated on the shoulder g and has a diameter less than that of the sideplate e, so that the'said ring is interposed between the outer side of the tire base and the s ideplate e, and is retained in place by the latter, as shown in Figs. 2 and 7. The rings 9 are applied to the bases'of the tire before the tire is applied to the wheel, the preferred procedure being to attach one of thc side plates e, then locate the tire bases with their rings g in place on the outer seats, and then attach the other side plate e. The tire bases are thus so securely att ched that they cannot be displaced.

I claim:

1. A vehicle wheel comprising a chambered rigid body having an inner seat, a pneumatic cushion bearing thereon, two outer seats, an annular spacing member formed independently of the outer seats, and rigidly attached thereto.

said spacing member havingieg-receivlng openings between the outer seats, an elastic tire U shaped in cross section, and having base portions permanently bearing on the outer seats, and leg sections bearing on the pneuinatic cushion and on the elastic tire, and movable in said openings.

2. A vehicle wheel comprising a chambered rigid body having an inner seat, a pneumatic cushion bearing thereon, two sheet inetaloutei seats, an annular sheet metal spacrug member formed independently of the outer seats, and riveted thereto, said spacing member having ieg-receiving openings, an elastic tire.U shaped in cross section, and

having base portions permanently bearing on the outer seats, and a series of leg sections bearing on the pneumatic cushion and on the elastic tire, and movabiein said openmgs.

3. A vehicle wheel comprising a rigid felly, a hollow sheet metal inner seat bearing on said felly, and having a concave outer face, a pneumatic cushion bearing on said seat, side plates or flanges secured to the telly at oppo site sidesof the cushion, two sheet metal outer seats an annular sheet metal spacing member affixed to the outer seats, and having leg-receiving openings, an elastic tire U shaped in cross section, and having base portions permanently bearing on the outer seats, and a series of leg sections hearings on the pneumatic cushion and on the elastic tire, and movable. in said openings.

4. A vehicle wheel comprising a rigid telly having an inner'seat, a pneumatic cushion bearing on said seat, side plates or flanges secured to the folly at opposite sides of the seat; two outer seats separated by a leg-deceiving space, and affixed rigidly to the outer portions of; the side plates, said seats havinghooked flanges which overhang the seats, an elastic-tire U shaped in cross section. and having base portions bearing on the outer seats, and en- ,chged with the hookedilanges thereon, the outer sides of said base portio'ns having shoulders, annular confining rings interposed between the outer sides of the said base portions and the side plates, and engaged with the said shoulders, and leg sections hearing on the said pneumatic cushion and tire, and movable in said space.

In testimony whereof we have atiixed our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

wmnrnnn J. MITCHELL. JAMES R. MlTCHELIr.

Witnesses as tosignature of Winfield J. Mitchell:

MAYLAND P. Foss, A. {I JENKINS.

. Witnesses as to signature of James R, Mitchell 1 'E. BATcH'nL'nnn, .1. W. Pizzn'r'rr. 

